1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to sheet metal ribbon coating apparatus and method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Sheet metal ribbon coating apparatus is known in the art. One such apparatus incorporates a looping facility which stores an appropriate length of the sheet metal ribbon for later processing. That is, when the trailing end of a first coil is reached, the stored ribbon within the looping facility is processed while, simultaneously, the trailing end of the first coil is stitched or otherwise secured to the leading end of a second coil. The use of a looping facility provides for the introduction of an endless sheet metal ribbon and therefore permits continuous operation of the apparatus. The initial purchase of the looping facility and the associated stitching or securing device and their continuous maintenance add significantly to the cost of coating the sheet metal ribbon.
A second apparatus is known which does not incorporate a looping facility. Instead, the leading end of the coil is manually threaded through the entire length of the apparatus and is connected to the recoiler and then the process is started. Such apparatus provides discontinuous operation. The disadvantage of such apparatus is the large amount of waste ribbon produced thereby. That is, initially the length of ribbon extending from the coating rolls to the recoiler is not coated and therefore is unusable.